


Bucky’s Excursion (No Glitter Bombs)

by Apprendere



Series: The Many Hairstyles of James Buchanan Barnes [4]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 11:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21475333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apprendere/pseuds/Apprendere
Summary: Bucky's not sure what he signed up for when he agreed to go on a surprise outing with Steve.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers
Series: The Many Hairstyles of James Buchanan Barnes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/812550
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Bucky’s Excursion (No Glitter Bombs)

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate title: Glitter Bombs (are for other people)
> 
> I swear I’m not dead and I still have more ideas in this series to write. A bit with Clint for one. Real life just has a habit of eating me.
> 
> I waffled a bit on the ending so I hope it came out okay!

“Hey Buck! Guess what?” Steve looks a little too gleeful for Bucky’s peace of mind. 

“What?” Bucky consumes another massive spoon of sugared corn flakes.

“You promised to let me take you out today!”

Hmmm. So he had.

“I promised, but not to where we're going. What's the plan?”

Steve's brilliant smile sent a twinge of foreboding down his spine. 

“We're going to go out and see the town, see what the scene looks like. You used to love sweeping everyone off their feet.”

Bucky sees the point, but… “I'm not exactly the same, you know.”

“Of course Buck.” Steve's grin hitches sideways. “I just think you might enjoy seeing what going out looks like now.”

Bucky is supposed to be living more in the world as it is now. He supposes this might not be completely horrible. He follows Steve into the elevator “As long as you don't shove me off into the dance floor. That's one thing I know has changed.”

Steve laughs, “I know you’d pull me in after to get back, don't worry.”

Bucky throws him a sharp look.

“Come on, if you're not enjoying it we can come back. You gotta give it a fair chance but the point isn’t to make you miserable.”

“Fine.” Honestly, he'd enjoy a nap just as much, but hey, why not. It'll make Steve happy too. 

“Great! Dress nice Buck.”

Bucky meets Steve in the empty living room. He feels that perhaps he managed to mishear Steve. The two of them are a big contrast. Bucky put in a good faith effort, dressing in slacks and a vest and tie over his dress shirt. He put his hair in a nice half updo. Natasha even caught him on the way down and reminded him about the sparkly hair pins so his braid is slightly star studded. However, Bucky is dressed in nice soft blacks and greys, while Steve in a riot of blue, pink, and purple.

The purple shirt might have been forgivable, but Bucky's pretty sure the electric blue pants are not ‘dressing nicely’. Neither is the horrendous hot pink lace cravat hanging at Steve’s collar. Well, that was Steve’s choice and Bucky’s not going to step in and fix it when it means he will be nearly invisible next to that mess.

Steve beams. “So. Remember how to dance?”

“Yeah, not up to date, but you’re not going to make me either way.”

“We’ll see.” Steve smiles fondly.

The night air is pleasant at least. The walk gives him a chance to notice Steve’s sense of fashion isn’t as abysmal as Bucky thought. Although, this doesn’t match what he’s used to seeing  _ now _ either. There are plenty of people dressed in all colors of the rainbow, as well as a few other sets of colors, like Steve’s color scheme for one.

They reach the bar and, waiting in line, he catches the music. The familiar music. The actually very familiar music. He gives Steve a look.

Steve catches it and grins.

“Eh.” Steve shrugs. “So maybe it’s not a regular 21st century bar. I might be prodded into admitting that it's not even really a bar. I figured you might enjoy this more. Maybe you’ll even dance. If you remember how.”

The over-saccharine sweetness in Steve’s voice makes his eyes roll. “We’ll see who doesn’t remember how to dance. Unless you somehow learned to lead your way out of a wet paper bag.” He smacks Steve lightly in the arm. “Oh wait, the paper bag weighed more than you did.”

Steve chuckles. “I’m pretty sure I never got enough practice to lead in the first place.  _ Someone _ always made me follow so he could practice.”

Bucky dodges the pointed poke at his ribs and steps up to the counter. “He’s paying” and steps out of Steve’s way with a grin.

They walk in and the full sound of the music and dancers, slight conversation around the edges, washes over Bucky. Big band swing. There was something different somehow, maybe more in Bucky than in the sound. He shakes his head. It doesn’t actually matter. The heart of it is there.

Dancers bounce and whirl on the dance floor in the center. Layers of tables around the edge hold people at rest, leaning on the bright tablecloths. Dancers just in, out, or waiting for a partner stand between tables and the floor. A small crowd by the bar, seeking cold drinks after the hot center of the dance floor. The band, framed by rich burgundy curtains. He stands, the movement on the dancefloor right in a way he doesn’t often feel, and he doesn’t want to try pinning down. The bounce, the skirts, the give and take, the missteps and giggles. The occasional collision or near miss and shifting to keep from running into other dancers on the floor.

Steve pats his shoulder on the way by and uses it to pull bucky in, around the edge. It breaks the spell and Bucky smiles, in the ballroom rather than his head. He follows Steve to a half claimed table at the very edge of the room. At first glance every table has someone’s water or hat or scarf. Still a lot of rainbow in those items though.

“You sure you don’t want to dance? I promise no one will laugh at you for being out of practice. If we’d gotten here an hour and half ago there was a beginners lesson.” Steve claims a seat somehow lacking the accoutrements of any dancers currently on the floor.

Bucky settles against the wall by Steve, snorting in amusement as he notices the disco ball in active use. He laughs again as Steve pulls a sketchbook out of his jacket pocket.

“Well, what did you think I was going to do?” Steve shoots over his shoulder.

Bucky just shakes his head fondly and alternates watching the dance floor and Steve’s progress. Just the drawing is impressive enough Bucky thinks, but the way Steve manages to capture the movement on the dance floor at least half of the time is enough to make him speak up.

“Planning on actually going professional with your art now? You have more than a bit of a chance.”

The casual way Steve brushes off the compliment is expected. “Says my best friend from childhood.” Steve glances up at Bucky. “You don’t have to stick with me you know. You can talk to people without dancing.”

“Yeah.” He does know. It’s just not quite appealing enough to risk being asked to dance for the first time in so many real and subjective years. He probably remembers enough not to knock anyone over while relearning, but compared to the way he thinks it used to feel… Bucky doesn’t want to try only to find out that this is now lost to him along with everything else.

He becomes aware that Steve is leaning on the chair back to look at him.

“At least go grab something for us to drink?”

Sighing, he complies. He slides around the edges of the room, staying well back of the intermediary zone where dancers stand to look for potential partners. There’s a line, squished between the bar and dance floor. Bucky eels in close enough to grab a menu. The swing of the music is so right, watching the dancers spin and jump, he can’t help but tap his foot as he reads it. It's printed for this day specifically. Some event called pride. There are fanciful little cartoons of the cocktails, matching the identity flags Steve had shown him. Well now that outfit makes sense. Steve seemed a little too proud of his "stars AND stripes" line. It would serve Steve right to get him one of the obnoxiously fruity drinks. Modern candy and syrups could be hellishly sweet on enhanced senses. Bucky also picked out a much more sensible tea for himself.

Bucky starts to search for the end of the line. 

"Hey!" A shout reaches him over the noise of his thoughts and the music. "You don't look like you've gotten to dance yet, want to go?"

"No, my friend is waiting on me for a drink." 

"Well I could wait on you if you wanted." The stranger is pretty handsome face under the rainbows painted on their face. Their cheeks sparkle and, near literally, light up with all the glittering as they smile. 

What the hell, he decides, Steve will make puppy dog eyes if he doesn't dance at least once.

"I think it's been long enough I don't know how to dance anymore."

"And? The point is dancing, you don't have to do it well."

Bucky makes a little show of being reluctant, only agreeing when he's reaching the head of the line.

"Okay, but don't blame me if I step on your feet."

This earns another brilliant smile. 

"Let me take the drinks back to my friend though. I'm Bucky by the way, you?"

"Call me Nima."

Bucky ignores the delighted grin Steve gives him. It has a slightly smug edge, like being invited to dance was the whole reason he sent Bucky for drinks in the first place.

Bucky knocks Steve lightly on the shoulder in reprimand, then returns to Nima.

“Shall we dance?”

“We shall.”

And they’re off, slowly and with a bit of fumbling about who should lead.

They start at half speed, off to the side and out of people’s way while Bucky gets his dancing feet underneath him. Gradually, He gets into, heh, the  _ swing _ of things. They move on out to the middle of the dance floor.

On a particularly fun pair of spins, Bucky notices that he’s acquiring some of Nima’s glitter as it flies off. Or maybe it’s an unavoidable side effect of dancing in a crowded room on a night with plenty of body glitter. Either way, the dancing is worth it.

He stays out dancing with Nima for a few songs before pleading thirst and returning to Steve.

As he leaves the dance floor for the tables he realizes just how much glitter he’s sporting. Bucky feels like his lip should split with how wide his grin is.

“Steve!” he exclaims. “I’m so glad you brought me out here.” He might be laying it on a bit thick, but Steve’s growing dread is more than worth it.

“Bucky no-” Steve tries to fend off his glittery, sweaty, hug. The efforts prove unsuccessful and Bucky runs his more glittery hand through Steve’s hair. The glitter seems to much prefer Steve’s hair to his metal hand.

Bucky backs off and takes a much needed drink of water.

“I have to say, I don’t mind the surprise being a pride event. I could’ve used the warning about the glitter though.”

Steve smiles, small and real. “I knew you’d enjoy it if you started.”

“Yeah?” Bucky cocks his head. “I bet you would too.” He tugs at Steve’s hand. “Up and at ‘em cap’n.”

“No no no, I brought you out here to enjoy yourself. Dancing was always your thing.” Steve pulls back.

“Not for your lack of trying. Come on, I could use some more practice with someone with indestructible feet.”

Steve gives him a flat look. “Buck. You haven’t stepped on someone’s feet accidentally since you were 17.”

“So you got nothing to worry about.” He lays his hands on Steve’s shoulders, leans in, and deadpans, “Turnabout’s fair play punk.”

Steve purses his lips and looks Bucky in the eye. He looks at the dancers, and back to Bucky.

“All right, one dance. I didn’t make you promise to dance so that’s all you’re getting, you hear?”

Steve is even more awkward starting out than Bucky was. Perhaps that’s because Bucky keeps swapping between dancing with Steve and trying to re-teach how to follow.

Bucky feels he’s allowed a smirk when Steve accepts an invitation to dance after their requisite single song.

Dancing like this, changing partners every dance, or keeping them longer if they worked well together, is a comfortable sort of semi-anonymity. No one really cares if he forgets how to finish a move he started, just coming back together into the basic step before moving on and trying something else. He’s glad Steve brought him.

Hours later, after the ballroom closed at midnight, they make their way back to Avengers Tower. Bucky is already happily bemused when they turn the corner and see the top floors of the tower are lit as the rainbow pride flag. It seems fitting, they’ve got so many people with so many identities, it shows support for everyone. It’s a marker of community.

Bucky begins to flag as they ride the elevator up. It’s been a much more exciting night than he planned for, even though he did enjoy it. He’ll sleep well tonight.

The elevator doors ding softly and they step out into the dimly lit entryway.

“Thank you JARVIS.” Bucky mumbles.

“Anyone still up?” Steve asks.

“No captain. And if I might suggest, you two would benefit from the same.”

Bucky heads to bed, tired and content.

**Author's Note:**

> It's stars AND stripes is one of the few sexual orientation headcanons I actually have a preference for beyond “not 100% straight”
> 
> It’s just so poetic.
> 
> Also, definitely not the whole reason this took so long, but I have gotten distracted watching swing dance and actually swing /dancing/ at least 3 times when I tried to start working on this. I didn’t even need to do it for research.


End file.
